Fostering good Work and Personal Ethics…your role as employee and employer.

Throughout my career in human resources, I have witnessed firsthand the erosion of proper work ethics within business. This can be something small like not adhering to dress code procedures or failing to give the required legal or contractual notices to the employer who would have gainfully employed you.

Harvard Business defines Work ethic as a set of values guiding professional behavior, encompassing integrity, responsibility, quality, discipline, and teamwork. It's crucial for success as it drives productivity, fosters employee satisfaction, and enhances a company's reputation, thereby contributing to individual and organizational achievements. To this, I want to add the word Honesty as well.

Errors, bad behavior, and poor judgment can negatively impact a company’s brand and reputation. For business success, it’s critical for organizations to have ethical leaders and employees who embrace these principles and infuses them into their daily lives. We are seeing the emergence of unethical children more and more each day and these children will become future employees and it’s the parents of these children who are displaying the unethical behaviors in our workplaces today and breeding the unethical employees of the future.

Let’s look at what is involved in creating an ethical work environment. Please remember that I am a human resources professional of over 30 years and the views and opinions contained in this article are strictly my own. You can use them as guidelines or totally ignore them. Additionally, research has been conducted and some of the content below can be credited to Harvard Business and Jack Welch..

1. Respect

Respect includes valuing others’ skills and contributions. While historically respect in the workplace may have been one-way (leaders demanding respect from employees), in an ethical work environment, respect is mutual. Mutual respect leads to healthier workplace relationships where both sides appreciate and support what the other is doing and feel secure in talking through issues and challenges. Healthy relationships create positive work environments, which drives increased productivity. Incorporate respectful candor in the work environment but link this to expectations in performance for the betterment of the organization rather than for socializing.

I am a follower of Jack Welch’s Winning, (an excellent read) and found his approach to be fulfilling and one that leads to my second point….accountability.

2. Accountability

Ethical leaders/ employees hold themselves accountable for their actions. They make decisions based on integrity and stand behind their work and reputation. They also lead by example, communicate openly about challenges, and don’t look to place blame on others for any shortfalls. Accountability when it comes to your reputation should be the foundation of any good professional. One aspects tat has bewildered me from my vast experiences is when employees have failed to perform to the level expected, they seem to switch that to be the fault of the employer. During many interviews, I would outline the responsibility and advise that working outside of normal hours is a requirement. The applicant would swiftly indicate, yes, “I am accustomed to doing this”. Within weeks or starting you realize that they don’t do it and as such, can’t meet deadlines set. One will say, this is because there may be a lot of work to be done, but no, it is called the “learning curve” for a new hire. New hires must learn the organization and at the same time do the work expected of them for the salary they commanded. This requires additional commitment from the onset and the sooner you are at the top of that curve, the workload starts to diminish because you are now experienced. Your ethical position, no matter the level, should always be “Give it your all and show your value”. Money will chase after this type of ethical behavior. This leads to my next point of Giving of service.

3. Service

“Leaders make ethical decisions based on doing what is right for employees, business, customers, and the community. There must always be a strong sense of service. They engage in activities such as charitable giving and volunteer work to give back to their communities — and encourage their teams to do the same”. Reference HB 

Employees should never ask for or accept tips to be motivated to do their jobs. They should love what they do and do it to the best of their ability because they have chosen a care path involving care and attention. In one establishment, I find that the cashier struggles with the act of closing the customer service experience. I have incorporated the words “did you find everything ok today” in their scripts to upsell or close out the customer service experience. They are told this from the orientation into this business. However, whenever I observe them, 60% of the time, they don’t say it, or they said it because I was observing. Why? one would ask, because they struggle with the element of giving good service. You should want to know that the person was fully serviced by your colleagues. They other element I have tried to incorporate is having them say “Thank you for shopping with us and come again”. This too, is a rarity for them to say. Needless to say, I have changed a lot of cashiers. If you can’t do simple things to enhance the business then, you simply aren’t fit for the business.

Leaders should look for and eliminate these individuals with this poor work ethics which should never be in alignment with allowed behavior.

4. Honesty

Employees who are transparent build trust within their organizations and amongst customers. This ethical principle has gotten me in a lot of trouble because no one really wants to hear the truth. To me, if you don’t want the truth then I am not the person to ask a question to.

“To build and maintain trust, leaders must be good communicators who speak openly and honestly about issues and be prepared to foster the environment of honesty. Regardless of the issue’s severity or unpopularity, leaders’ responsibility to be clear and candid to empower others to make the right decisions with the information they have”. This should transcend even other HR professionals. When called upon to complete a background check, some would lie to the caller so as not to “cause” the individual not to get an opportunity at a job but doing so can lead to negligent hiring and thousands of dollars wasted. Be honest about the employee/ past employees’ performance, it is their performance, don’t embellish or diminish because they may not have been liked…just BE honest. It frustrate me when hiring, I am told of bad employees from the “streets” rather than from the HR professional who conducted the background check.

Honesty and transparency also help to build a brand’s reputation, leading to long-term customer loyalty. Dishonesty can manifest itself in ways such as stealing by way of employment, stealing time from the company by coming late, leaving early and placing incorrect times to avoid discipline, not reporting accidents done in a company vehicle or thinking it is ok to steal money because the company has lots of it. Whatever the reason employees comfort themselves with in their minds, observing or allowing small acts of dishonesty leads to bigger acts of theft.

5. Justice

My favorite ethical principle is that of Justice. Employees who work with me know this too well. This is not just about following the law, but about ensuring that everyone is getting what they deserve and doing it consistently and equally, regardless of the type of employee they are. The focus should be on treating everyone fairly and expecting your teams to treat each other and customers the same way. Through their actions, they build equitable work environments where everyone feels valued the same way.

Employers should have zero- tolerance for quid pro quo, sexual harassment which can make the workplace toxic, can lead to a hostile work environment and withdrawal of service. These environments can also lead to litigation for the company and hundreds of thousands in penalties, once proven.

Next steps for enhancing a work environment to becoming truly ethical

Introduce Candor- give meaningful and honest feedback. Employees will be more engaged because of it. When providing feedback, be direct but empathetic

Foster honesty and accountability by Combating work biases. Bias can affect your decisions and actions and be explicit (you’re aware of it) or implicit (you’re unaware of it).

Implement or redefine the performance appraisal process for greater equity and fairness. incorporate key performance indicators, or KPIs, into evaluations of managers and other employees.

Try to lead by example and ask yourself, “how will my team view these actions?” Leading by example also promotes trust within your organization, which can be critical to establishing accountability among your team.

Have regular team “Huddles” for open feedback and training opportunities. These can be short meetings at the start of the day to set the tone for the remainder of the day and focus the staff on what is ahead. It is also an opportunity to reinforce the company’s code of ethics.

Reward rather than discipline Ethical behavior

Give employees a voice- So that you and other leaders receive meaningful feedback and stay accountable, it’s vital to give employees a platform to share their thoughts. However, doing so can be unnerving.

Be an authentic leader- It requires putting your beliefs ahead of your company’s success and prioritizing employee satisfaction and relationships.

The benefits of having an authentic leadership style include:

• Enhanced workplace relationships
• Increased productivity
• Improved working environments

Establish a clear, company-wide code of ethics:

Create an ethical work culture: Ensure that everyone in the organization understands and buys into the articulated ethical principles. 

Recruit individuals with shared ethical values that you want to promote in the company. Incorporate ethics-based questions into the interview process.

Remember, ethical leadership isn’t just about following rules; it’s about making choices that benefit the greater good of the business. By prioritizing this and fostering an ethical environment, both the employer and employee can positively influence their organizations in the present and beyond. 

Jacquelyn Beneby is the CEO of the Human Resources Solutions Groups, a member of the honor Society of Female professionals and a business speaker.